#sweeney todd imagine

[myveryownfanfiction]

18+ MINORS AND THOSE WITHOUT AGE IN BIO DNI

warnings: swearing, mention of blood, mention of murder

I waited for the thud before opening the door and slipping in. Sweeney looked up when the door closed. He smirked at me before sending the body down into the kitchens.

“one down one to go.” He said off handedly. I smiled at him as I walked over, grabbing his jacket on my way over. “The judge will be here soon. Once he realizes that the beadle won’t return.” I nodded.

“And honestly the man is beyond clueless without the beadle. Quite stupid for a judge if we’re being honest.” I responded. Holding out the jacket, I helped Sweeney put it on and this cover up the blood stain that covered his sleeve. “When do you want me to get Johanna?” Sweeney turned around and cupped my chin.

“after the judge is dead. Bring her back here.” He said, eyes roaming my face. I nodded as much as I could. “Perhaps we should take out mrs. Lovett and Toby first. Antony will also be looking for her.”

“we do away with the others. Then we send word to Antony that Johanna is here. All done up nice and pretty like.” I confirmed. Sweeney nodded before leaning in to kiss me. His grip on my chin tightened.

“and then the four of us can leave.” He whispered as he pulled away. “Go to America. Start over.” I nodded.

“sounds like a plan mr. Todd.” I smiled at him and he smiled back.

[bebx]

Relationship: Anthony Hope & Sweeney Todd

Summary:

Mister Todd lost a daughter and a wife. He certainly gave up on being someone's family again, still he ended up having a son of his own; his name was Anthony.

[reareaotaku]

Yandere! Sweeney Todd Headcanons

[TW: I've never watched this movie, so sorry if it's OOC or something. I tried my best]

Always scared he's going to lose you

He is very obsessive and possessive of you

He has to know what you're doing, when you're doing it, where at, with who, why that guy? and so on and on

For a violent murder, he's very soft with you

He treats you like glass. He's scared he's going to break you

He does have his moments where he loses his temper [Usually when he's jealous]

While he's not violent towards you, he will be violent towards the person who was hitting on you and boy does it get bloody

He wants to be vulnerable with you, but he's scared

He's very loving with you. Holding you in his arms, singing to you softly, combing through your hair with his fingers, caressing your face

This man is filled with so much rage and if you ever try and get one over on him, you'll see his anger

He does not know how to properly and healthy grieve and you figure that out pretty fast. Death is something he doesn't show emotions towards, unless it's someone he loves

He thinks about locking you up, in fear of you leaving him or being taken away

He has a creepy melody he hums at night and it freaks the fuck out of you

He loves brushing your hair. It calms him down, especially when he's high-strung. He'll hum while he does it [That same creepy melody he hums at night] and you get scaringly still in fear he might grab the sharp razor on the dresser and slit your throat

You've seen the things he's done to people he hates, so you try and stay on his good side. You try and keep him happy, and it makes him sad when he realizes you're scared of him. Don't you know he'll never hurt you?

You don't ever say no to him

He hates what he sees when looking in your eyes. He can see his reflection and all the emotions in your soul. He doesn't want you to fear him, he wants you to love him

But maybe it's a good thing you're scared of him because it ensures, you'll never leave or cheat on him

[drugs-and-daddyissues]

Sweeney never thought he'd love again, not after his wife and child were ripped away from him. But then you come along. Something about you that takes him by storm, that stirs a deep need to protect you from the world, a cruel place as he knows it to be. But he's also scared to be the one that could corrupt you now. He has blood on his hands, he's no longer the man he used to be.

-

"My beautiful flower.." He whispers in your ear, mindlessly twirling around his shop with you. "So sweet.. So pure. I could destroy you, dove" His voice was rough, low, but he was soft with you. His edges, once previously as sharp as his razors, dulled by your presence.

"Yet you don't, you keep me in bloom, make sure I'm properly watered." You whispered back, head tucked on his shoulder.

"I swear, I'll make sure you never have to grow thorns. I'll protect you from the storm, my love." He promises, a gentle hand on your back.

[anthonyhopeswife]

ˏˋ headcanons ˎˊ ୨୧ anthony  hope  ♡  reader (  nsfw  )

✧ pet names. anthony is OBSESSED with being called pet names. ‘pretty boy’, ‘good boy’, ‘sweet boy’, ‘baby boy’, ‘sweetheart’, ‘honey’, ‘baby’, ‘angel’... all of the above!

✧ of course, he also has plenty of sweet nicknames for you, too, such as ‘princess’ and ‘my love’ and ‘darling’ – among many others. he shows his adoration for you through words because he feels that touch isn’t nearly enough to convey how much he feels for you.

✧ he has the biggest kink of all time for recieving praise. he needs to hear you tell him what a good boy he is and how good he’s making you feel. he just wants so badly to please you :(( <3

✧ he gets inexplicably embarrassed by his own come and tries to clean up his mess as quickly as possible.

✧ yours, however? that’s a completely different story. he loves tasting you. he’ll lick it off of his fingers or clean you off with his tongue in a heartbeat if you give him permission to do so.

✧ he moans “i love you” while you’re fucking him. ( and, of course, you always say it right back to him, because how could you not? )

✧ anthony likes it when you give him love bites and hickies – especially since he can hide them easily under his scarf. the thought of belonging to you is a major turn on for him.

✧ anthony is surprisingly loud in the act. he whimpers and whines a lot. he’d be shy and self-conscious about this at first, but once you reassure him that you like hearing his pretty noises and encourage him to keep making them for you, he would do so gladly.

✧ his eyes roll back when he’s close to finishing.

✧ his favorite position is cowgirl. he loves it when you’re on top of him, controlling the pace and riding him into the mattress.

✧ he’s very well-mannered in bed. he says ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. he always asks for permission and he does exactly as he’s told. he’s a good boy!! <3

✧ he usually prefers for you to be very gentle with him, but he also likes it when you’re a little playfully mean from time to time. teasing him, making him beg just to be touched or kissed, edging him and denying his orgasm over and over... yeah. he likes that. of course, he always trusts you to hold him in your arms afterwards and tell him how much you love him. usually he’ll fall asleep like that as you’re stroking his hair and whispering sweet things to him.

✧ prior to the two of you living together, he’ll let you fuck him in absolutely any place you can find that’s private. he spends his life moving between the bountiful and various docks/ports, so it’s incredibly rare to have a moment just between the two of you. a risky quickie is occasionally necessary, given the circumstances.

✧ in addition to that, need i remind you that anthony is LOUD. you may have to let him bury his face in your neck or maybe even put your hand over his mouth in order to keep him quiet and not get caught.

✧ he has a kink for being overpowered. it’s particularly evident in the way he reacts whenever you pin his wrists to the mattress or push him up against a wall.

✧ one of his absolute favorite things in the world is when you’re spooning him and you reach around to jerk him off from behind. the combination of being held in your arms and the pleasure of you touching him is everything he could ask for.

✧ if you tug on his hair or bite his lip while you’re kissing him, he’ll moan into your mouth.

✧ when it comes to oral, he’s more of a giver than a receiver; he simply adores pleasing you with his mouth. making you moan, feeling your hands tangled in his hair, hearing you praise him and tell him how good he’s making you feel, getting to taste you once you’ve come on his tongue... it’s heaven for him. he especially loves when you ride his face.

✧ contrary to popular belief, i don’t think he’s entirely clueless about sex prior to meeting you. he’s a sailor, so even in spite of how puritanical people tended to be in the victorian era, he’s certainly heard more than his fair share of crude stories from the men in his crew, as well as the ones he’s met during his travels. that being said, he’s still definitely a virgin before the two of you cross paths, and he doesn’t have any real sexual experience yet.

✧ he definitely likes being fucked with a strap-on. do with that what you will.

✧ he’s turned on by being ( very lightly ) choked. just feeling your hand brush against his neck or your fingers wrap around his throat while you’re kissing him drives him MAD.

✧ he giggles whenever you accidentally brush against or kiss a ticklish spot during sex.

✧ he likes for you to grab his hips and pin them down while you suck him off. a recurring theme here is that he REALLY likes getting pinned down.

✧ he gets so insanely turned on by dirty talk. all it takes is for you to tease him about how eager he is or talk about all the filthy things you’re going to do to him, and he’s already a blushing, moaning mess.

✧ no matter how rough or intense things may get, the romantic aspect of sex is very important to anthony. in his eyes, sex is a way for you to feel and convey your love for one another, and so other aspects of affection have to be present during lovemaking. kisses, hand holding, cuddling, declarations of love, just to name a few.

[rougetveit]

aaron singing epiphany a tiny little half step higher and making everyone so mad is funny. like imagine if he declared a war on tenors whenever another christian had to lower the key to sing roxanne

[little-lovett]

[creativeimagination206]

I’m currently obsessed with both The Goes Wrong Show and Sweeney Todd.

Which is wonderful because we love ✨inspiration✨ but also disastrous because

now all I can think about is Chris trying to put on Sweeney Todd because they’re miraculously being given a longer time slot and Sweeney Todd is a Classic (honestly, he’d probably do a deep dive to get the original play script and not the musical, cause lord knows he wouldn’t want to stage an entire musical).

And now I’m just trapped in this question of who would be cast as what characters and what disasters would happen. Like, obviously Chris would be Sweeney, and I could see him casting Robert as the judge. And probably Sandra as Johanna (and consequently Max as Anthony). And I have no doubt that whatever staging is done for Sweeney’s special barber chair (I haven’t actually seen the play live) would go horribly wrong in every conceivable way.

If I had more time and ambition I’d consider writing a fic about it (but it would be my first Goes Wrong doc and it would probably… /go wrong/) I just… can’t stop thinking about it now.

[pieshopbarber]

shout out to my two favorite old British men

[sinfullyrosey]

*slams hands on table in a dramatic fashion*

Tired am I of the fics featuring Reader (and or one of the other characters) being uncomfortable and disgusted by Rook’s creepy quirks, yet still being paired up with him!

Instead, I bring forth to you the concept that Rook’s partner is unbothered by his actions, not because they condone or support his stalker-ish tendencies and constant destroying of other’s boundaries!

But simply because they’re into that shit.

Voyeurism. Photography. Predator/Prey. Hunting/Chasing. Obsessive Devotion/Praise.

All of those are legit kinks some have, and out of everyone in TWST, Rook would benefit the most by finding someone who appreciates and loves those forms of affections. While yes, his actions are not appropriate towards those who clearly want him to back off and feel uneasy towards him. In fact it’s kind of illegal.

But towards a partner with these kinds of kinks?

Rook must be the jackpot they’ve been looking for!

Like, imagine his partner being into photography: While in public, they take regular pictures of whatever, whether it be nature, models, animals, food, etc. But in the privacy of their own bedroom? Suddenly, the photos become much more vulgar, risque and focuses more on intimate moments shared between the two.

I especially like the angle of his partner specifically photographing themselves as their own model, whether in a pinup sort of way or through an artistic lens that utilizes nudity and symbolic narratives. Maybe they do submit these photos to art museums or maybe it’s just something they enjoy doing in the privacy of their home and they just keep the pictures to review after each session.

Or, more salaciously, they only do photography in the bedroom because they enjoy capturing those shared moments with him so that they can easily look back on them and relive the moment again, even if he’s not around.

As for the voyeurism angle, maybe his partner likes it when Rook takes pictures of them or watches them from the shadows because it gives them a special kind of thrill. Maybe they like the attention and knowledge that Rook looks at them as a piece of art to be gazed at and appreciated. While others may find his eccentric and obsessive nature towards beauty to be annoying or too much as it were, they don’t.

In fact, they may even agree with him whole heartily and thrive off of his over-the-top appraisal towards them to be one of the sexiest aspects about him!

This can further go hand-in-hand with an artistic photographer, because maybe they understand Rook’s viewpoint better than anyone else, because they’re the exact same way. And this translates into their photography as they try to set up good lighting and camera angles during their sessions to better capture these images to visualize their personal views.

Not to mention I think Rook would also appreciate finding someone who is similar to him in this regard and is openly receptive to his advances. It’s clear he enjoys the chase (he is a hunter after all), so finding a partner who’s open to participating in predator/prey or hunter/hunted type roleplays is probably a dream come true for him.

Maybe early on in the relationship or heck, even before that, when he’s still courting them, they would “play hard to get.” They were coy with him, keeping him on his toes and keeping him guessing as to whether or not they were just as interested in him as he was with him. One minute they were accepting of his invitation for a nice walk around Pomefiore, only to turn around and reject the bouquet he was attempting to gift them and refusing to even look his way.

Only for him to catch the glint in their eye and the subtle quirk of a smirk on their lips.

This got way longer then I intended and I kind of got off topic, but like these are just my thoughts. I’ve always loved analyzing characters and trying to pinpoint the type of partner would work best for them. And Rook is one of those special cases where fandom writes him off as a creep which isn’t wrong tbf and only seems to be interested in writing him as an unhealthy partner when like, the opposite is so much more interesting. Rook just needs to find someone who’s into the sort of stuff he does and would view it as a fitting love language.

[jokersbatmanboxers]

chainshipping but it's sweeney todd and lawrence is sweeney and adam is mrs lovett and he is obsessed with larry and will do anything for him but in the end larry kills him due to his own selfishness

[armandjolras]

said she took the poison; she did, never said that she died

[imyourbratzdoll]

Warnings and Reminders - Please do not plagiarise, copy, repost/republish, adapt, or translate any of my work on any social media platforms, apps, or third-party sites. The only platforms I post my work on are: Tumblr and Wattpad. I do not own any character of any franchise (Marvel etc.) All my works are fiction and may be dark or triggering content: READ ALL WARNINGS BEFORE PROCEEDING.

♡ 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒇𝒇 ➳ 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕 ❥ 𝒔𝒎𝒖𝒕 ❦ 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌

೫˚🖤❀ *ૢ🥀೫˚🌑

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐚

𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰

𝐄𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬

𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐝

𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬

𝐈𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞

೫˚🖤❀ *ૢ🥀೫˚🌑

[drugs-and-daddyissues]

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐈 (𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲)

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

🩷 f!reader 🩵 m!reader 💛 gn!reader

🔞 smut 🎀 fluff 🥀 angst | masterlist I

♡ 𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒

Nothing yet...

♡ 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒

Bloom 💛🎀

♡ 𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒

Safe now 💛🥀🎀

♡ 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒

Grumpy x sunshine 💛🎀

Making love 🩷🔞

➣ add yourself to my taglist here

[alilixx]

fanfic characters x reader

I would also write fanfics about the actors (they are mostly the ones playing the characters on the list)

Here is my list:

Harry Potter:

Severus Snape:

Remus Lupin

Sirius Black

Barty Crouch Jr.

Bellatrix Lestrange

Lucius Malfoy

Character I'm not sure I do:

Fred Weasley 

George Weasley

Draco Malfoy

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

Tom Riddle 

Regulus Black

Fantastic Beasts:

Albus Dumbledore

Gellert Grindelwald

Minerva McGonagall

Lord Percival Graves

Hogwarts Legacy:

Phineas Nigellus Black

Sebastian Sallow

Aesop Sharp

Mirabel Garlick

Ominis Gaunt

Grand Theft Auto:

Michael De Santa

Trevor Philips

Franklin Clinton

Niko Bellic

Steve Haines

Lester Crest

Agent 14

Naruto:

Kakashi Hatake

Naruto Uzumaki

Sasuke Uchiha

Tsunade

Jiraya

Minato Namikaze

Gaara

Tobirama Senju

Senju Hashirama

Inuzuka Hana

Mitarashi Anko

Darui

Kushina Uzumaki

Kiba Inuzuka

Uchiha Shisui

Yujito Nii

Ôtsutsuki Indra

Ôtsutsuki Asura

Uchiha Obito

Mei Temurî

Boruto:

Naruto Uzumaki

Sasuke Uchiha

Mitsuki

Kawaki

Boruto Uzumaki

Konoha-Maru Sarutobi

Sakura Haruno

The Devil Wears Prada:

Serena

Miranda Priestly

Jujutsu Kaisen:

Yuji Itadori

Utahime Iori

Masamichi Yaga

Inumaki Toge

Okkotsu Yûta

Sheko Ieiri

Yuki Tsukumo

Uraume

Toji Fushiguro

Gong Shi Woo

Atsuya Kusakabe

Ieri Shôko

Zenin Mai

Zenin Maki

Choso

Gojo Satoru

Megumi Fushiguro

Ryomen Sukuna

Mei Mei

Kento Nanami

Assassination Classroom:

Tadaomi Karasuma

Irina Jelavic

Koro Sensei (human)

One piece:

Shanks

Portgas D.Ace

Don Quijote Doflamingo

Roronoa Zoro

Sanji Vinsmoke

Coby

Trafalgar Law

Sabo

Marvel:

Agatha Harkness

Hela

Natasha Romanoff

Tony Stark

Yelena Belova

Loki Laufeyson

Sylvie Laufeydottir

Matt Murdock

May Parker

Scott Lang

Shang Chi

Stephen Strange

Thena

Wanda Maximoff

Xu Wenwu

Marc Spector

Steven Grant

Wednesday:

Larissa Weems

Morticia Addams

Lucifer:

Lucifer Morningstar

Chloe Decker 

Mazikeen Smith

Amenadiel

Charlotte Richards

Aurora (Rory) Morningstar

Michael

Sandman:

The Corinthian

Lucifer Morningstar

Desire

Johanna Constantine

Bleach:

Ichigo Kurosaki

Sousuke Aizen

Kuchiki Buyakuya

Coyote Stark

Resident Evil:

Leon S. Kennedy

Chris Redfield

Ashley Graham

Ethan Winters

Carlos Oliveira

Helena Harper

Rosemary Winters

Alcina Dimitrescu

Cassandra Dimitrescu

Daniela Dimitrescu

Bela Dimitrescu

Dr House:

Dr Gregory House

Dr Lisa Cuddy

Dr James Wilson

Dr Alissa Cameron

Dr 13

Two and a Half Men:

Charlie Harper

Walden Schmidt

Judith Harper

Jenny

Politicians:

Emmanuel Macron (French President)

Gabriel Attal (French Prime Minister)

Mathieu Maucort (French  Interministerial Delegate)

Jordan Bardella (European Deputy and French President of the RN)

Volodimir Zelensky (Ukranian President)

Justin Trudeau (Canada Prime Minister)

I'M NOT TALK ABOUT MY POLITICAL PARTY OR WHETHER I SUPPORT THEM OR NOT!!! ONLY FOR PHYSICS HUH

Star Wars:

Kylo Ren

Captain Phasma

Din Djarin

Poe Dameron

Valorant:

Chamber

Viper

Reyna

Omen

La Casa De Papel:

Berlin

El Professor

Suárez

My Hero Academia:

Dabi

Shota Aizawa

Nemuri Kayama

Todoroki Shôto

Toga Himiko

Shimura Nana

Chisaki Kai

Attack on titan:

Hanji Zoe

Levi Ackerman

Annie Leonhart

Mikasa Ackerman

Pirates of the caribbean:

Jack Sparrow

Elizabeth Swann

Sweeney Todd:

Sweeney Todd

Mrs. Lovett

Judge Turpin

The Witcher:

Geralt Of Rivia

Yennefer of Vengerberg

Ciri

Kaamelott:

Arthur Pendragon

Léodagan

Bohort

Yvain

Gauvain

Ygerne

Elias de Kelliwic’h

Spy X Family

Loid Forger

Yor Forger

Castlevania

Dracula

Leon Belmont

Alucard

Trevor Belmont

Richard Belmont

Tera

Five Nights at Freddy’s

William Afton

Michael Schmidt

Vanessa Shelly

Satsuriku no Tenshi

Isaac Foster

Haikyuu!!

Yū Nishinoya

Tobio Kageyama

Tetsurō Kuroo

Fugou Keiji: Balance:UNLIMITED

Daisuke Kambe

Haru Katou

Ryo Hosino

Owari no Seraph

Guren Ichinose

Mikaela Hyakuya

Ferid Bathory

Crowley Eusford

Kureto Hiragi

Shinya Hiragi

Horn Skuld

Chess Belle

Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records

Glenn Radars

Sistine Fibel

Celica Arfonia

Albert Frazer

Domestic na Kanojo

Hina Tachibana

Rui Tachibana

Masaki Kobayashi

Reiji Kiriya

My new boss is Goofy

Shirosaki Yusei

Mitsuo Aoyama

Kinjo Aigo

Buddy Daddies

Kugi Kyûtarô

Suwa Rei

Kurusu Kazuki

Unasaka Misaki

Other characters

Sakata Gintoki from Gintama

Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones by Gwendoline Christie

Hans Gruber from Die Hard by Alan Rickman

Sinclair Bryant from Close my eyes by Alan Rickman

Miranda Hilmarson from Top of the Lake by Gwendoline Christie

Charlie Harper from My Uncle Charlie by Charlie Sheen

Isaac Foster from Angels of Deaths

Link from The Legend Of Zelda

Cereza from Bayonetta

Leonora Lesso from School for Good and Evil by Charlize Theron

Elaine Markinson from Gringo by Charlize Theron

Hannibal Lecter from Hannibal by Mads Mikkelson

Miss Perergrine from Miss Peregrine’s Home for Particular Children by Eva Green

Joel Miller from The Last Of Us by Pedro Pascal

Mr.Cat from Kaeloo

Marc from Le Flambeau by Jonathan Cohen

John Wick from John Wick’s movies by Keanu Reeves

Joe Goldberg from You by Penn Badgley

Crowley from Good Omens by David Tennant

Max Black from 2 Broke girls by Kat Dennings

Tobias from Ghost

[anthonyhopeswife]

i would love if u wrote about anthony falling for a fem!reader who’s sweeney’s assistant? she doesn’t do much except write and convince his victims to attend the barbershop, but he was whipped for her the moment they met. please and thank you!!

❛ favor me with your glance. ❜ ♡

⊹ ˖ pairing. anthony hope ♡ reader ⊹ ˖ rating. safe for work ⊹ ˖ contents. fem reader, fluff, meet-cute, technical hand holding, dark comedy, mutual crushes ⊹ ˖ word count. 2k+ ⊹ ˖ ao3. link.

It was another overcast morning in Fleet Street. Grey skies, smog in the air. Nothing short of the usual doom and gloom of London that you had grown accustomed to during all your years spent here. You were alone in Mrs Lovett’s shop, and it was eerily silent save for the distant chatter of people walking the streets outside. You presumed that she and Toby were yet to rise for the day, as they typically preferred to sleep in. You and Mister Todd, however, were always early to wake and perform the morning routine that you had fallen into. 

As your proprietor readied his parlor for the workday, you did the same downstairs. Albeit it was rather minute tasks you would perform, such as straightening up the kitchen or dusting off the utensils or going down to the bakehouse to make sure that ‘supplies’ were well enough stocked for Mrs Lovett to bake into a days’ worth of her renowned pies. It didn’t take very long, so you often used the remainder of the morning hours to fetch yourself some breakfast or just take some time alone. Today, you had decided on the latter, and had leaned against the countertop, lost deep within your own head.

Your work was relatively easy. You ran errands for Mister Todd if needed. You helped to set up shop. Once everything had fallen into place, you took to the streets, lingering around the street corner and trying to convince passersby to stop in for a shave. On occasion, you were summoned to clean up the aftermath of a client — wiping blood from the floors or the window as swiftly as possible. You didn’t care much for that aspect of the job.

It was a decent workload, but it wasn’t all that bad, especially not in exchange for housing and fair pay. It was certainly better than what most people your age had to do to get by. You’d take this over the harsh conditions of a factory, or having to resort to selling — well, worse things. You didn’t like to dwell on those possibilities.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by the soft jingle of a bell. The door had opened — rather suddenly, you might add — and in the entrance stood a young man. He looked familiar, but you didn’t believe you’d ever properly met him, nor even spoken to him. He was tall and thin, perhaps a bit lanky, with wavy blond hair that brushed the tops of his shoulders. Certainly not a face you would forget.

His blue eyes, wide with surprise upon being faced with a stranger, seemed to study you for a few moments. “Oh! I’m sorry, excuse me, Miss. I hadn’t meant to intrude.”

“It’s alright,” you murmured, subconsciously straightening your posture and crossing your arms over your chest. “If you’re here for a pie, I’m afraid we aren’t open until half-past ten.”

“Yes, that’s right…” He mumbled, perhaps more to himself than to you. His voice was soft. Pretty, even. “I know it’s early — and I do apologize — I’m just here to see Mister Todd. Is he in?”

“He’s upstairs. I’ll go and speak to him.” You walked around the counter, starting towards the door that led outside.

“Thank you,” said the stranger, a gentle smile on his face. As you reached the exit, he scrambled to hold it open for you. “Ah — here you are.” A gentle smile.

It was polite of him. You weren’t used to gestures like that, and certainly not from boys you’d never met before. He must not have been from around here. You fought a smile of your own that threatened to tug at the corner of your lips as you brushed past him.

Making haste, you jogged up the stairs and knocked on the door to Mister Todd’s parlor. You knew that he had a particular distaste for people barging in without permission.

“Come,” his gruff voice commanded from inside, and you were quick to oblige. Your employer stood, a cup of tea in hand as he gazed out of the window. Surprisingly, he did you the favor of turning around to face you as you spoke to him.

You offered the older man a quick, respectful bow before you stated your business. “Morning, sir. There’s a boy downstairs asking to see you.”

“A customer?” Sweeney grumbled, as if displeased by the prospect of dealing with someone this early.

You shook your head. “I don’t think so. It’s a young man, um, about my age. He asked to see you personally.”

His eyes widened ever-so-slightly in recognition. “Anthony.”

“Ah…” you rocked awkwardly on your feet. It was undeniable that your employer made you nervous. Perhaps that was for the better, given what knowledge you held about him and Mrs Lovett. You always did your very best to walk on eggshells around him. You played an expendable role in this establishment, and one could never quite be sure when he might snap and it would be your throat he was slashing. “You know him, sir?” “He’s a…” His cold gaze faltered. The word ‘friend’ seemed to die in his throat. “An acquaintance of mine.” 

You nodded stiffly in understanding. “Shall I send him up, then?” “No.” He turned away, his focus shifting back to the window. “Tell him I’ll be down shortly.” “Right away.” With that, you spun on your heel and exited the barber shop, your heart racing a bit faster than you cared to admit. In your defense, you never claimed to be brave. You made quick work of the staircase, listening to it creak beneath each step and hoping the old, rickety thing wouldn’t cave beneath your weight.

As you stepped back into the pie shop, you were met with the sight of Anthony sitting at an empty table, his hands clasped on the table in front of him. He looked up at you as you entered, the kind smile still on his face. 

“He says he’ll be down to see you in a minute,” you informed him, unsure of what to do with yourself. Should you leave? Return to your place behind the counter? Make conversation? You weren’t suited for this in the slightest. You did just fine with luring in Sweeney’s clients, but not with talking to handsome, friendly strangers.

He replies, “Alright, then. Thank you for checking.”

It caught you off-guard all over again. You weren’t used to people thanking you simply for doing your job. Actually, come to think of it, you weren’t used to people thanking you at all. “You’re welcome,” you say, blinking away the surprise.

As if he somehow read your mind, Anthony spoke up again. “Would you like to come and sit? I’m sure you could use the rest.”

An array of excuses immediately sprung to your mind. But then it occurred to you that you had nothing better to do, and that you would actually quite like to sit and chat with him. After all, he was the most polite person you think has ever graced Fleet Street with his presence. And, well… He also happened to look like a beautiful prince straight out of the stories you were told as a child. But you were no princess, just a lowly barber’s assistant. You were sure that a boy like him would certainly want nothing to do with you. But that didn’t matter — you could at least stop and have a conversation with him. 

“I’d like that,” you replied, brushing nonexistent dust off of your coat before walking over to sit across from him. Something about him was making you all… fidgety. “So…” you began, hoping some of this sudden nervousness would fade in time. “I was told your name is Anthony?”

“Yes. Anthony Hope. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss.” He extended a hand across the table for you to shake. “What’s your name?”

Reaching out to oblige him, you told him your name. His hand was warm, the fingerless knit glove soft against your palm. Even after you’d shaken it, he seemed almost reluctant to let go.

“That’s a very pretty name.”

“Um, thank you.” You thought for a second that you could feel your face burning. “Your surname is… it’s very pretty as well.”

His eyes fixed on yours. They were pretty. They reminded you of the ocean. “Do you work for Mister Todd?”

“Yes. I was hired earlier this year. I’m his…” The word ‘accomplice’ springs to mind. “His assistant. And you? What’s your occupation? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“I’m a sailor,” he answered, his face lighting up with excitement. “I work on a merchant ship called The Bountiful. Transporting goods and things of the sort.”

You couldn’t help but grin at that. He reminded you a bit of a puppy. “That sounds like a nice job to have. I’d love to travel around and see the world.” You mused. You had never left London before. You quite liked the thought of seeing what life was like outside of the dark, dreary place you called home.

“I’m quite fond of it,” he confessed almost shyly. And then, seemingly before he could think better of it, he blurted out, “Perhaps I could show you aboard sometime? If you’d be interested.”

Your lips parted, eyes widening in surprise. That was quite the offer to make to someone he hardly knew, but admittedly… the thought of it made your heart flutter. 

His eyebrows furrow, afraid he’d said the wrong thing. “I’m sorry. Was that too forward? My apologies, Miss, really, I just—”

You shake your head. “No, no, it’s not that! I think I would, actually. I’d quite like to see.”

“Ah, yes, that’s good to hear, then…” Anthony looked down, appearing a bit bashful after making such a proposal. Admittedly, you felt the same.

Hoping to break the ice, you reached toward the teapot in the center of the table. You’d used it to make Sweeney a cup this morning, but hadn’t used the rest of the water just yet. Perhaps it would be rude not to offer some to your guest. “Would you like — oops!—” You cut yourself off as your hand accidentally brushed against Anthony’s.

Before you could yank it away at breakneck speed, both of his hands took yours, cradling it gently. “Your hands are freezing!” He exclaimed, concern seeping into his voice. In truth, he was exactly right. It was rather drafty in the shop, particularly at this time of morning, and you didn’t have any gloves to keep your hands warm. Much to your astonishment, Anthony had begun removing his own, and then slipped them onto your hand, the soft black fabric warming your skin almost as much as his touch did. “Here. You can have these. You need them more than I do.”

You began to stammer, your face heating up. “Oh! No, y-you don’t have to do that! I can find some gloves of my own, I—”

“Not to worry. I have many more pairs. You can keep this one.” He flashed a reassuring smile. Reluctantly, you offered your other hand, and he guided the glove on. “There you are. Do you feel any warmer?”

“Yes… That’s… much better. Thank you, Anthony.” As he replied that you were welcome, you had half a mind to grab his hand and hold onto it. He was so warm, so inviting, and something in you wanted nothing more than to cling onto him.

Startling the both of you, the bell on the door jingled again, and Sweeney stepped in, his expression grave as always. You couldn’t help but feel disappointed that your time with the sailor boy was being cut short. 

“I should hope to see you again sometime soon,” Anthony told you as you slid out of the booth.

This time, you didn’t bother suppressing the smile that crept onto your face. “I hope so too.”

With a wave goodbye, which he was eager to return, you decided to give the two of them some privacy, slipping out to head to the living quarters. You couldn’t help but notice Anthony’s eyes on you even as you disappeared from sight and Mister Todd took your place, your heart still beating rapidly in your chest. One thing was for sure, you’d be counting the hours until you could see him again.